The next wave of high-value products will require assembly at the micro- and nano-scales, according to The San Jose Mercury News. "These trends suggest enormous opportunities."

Echoing this claim is Matthew Nordan, president of nanotechnology research firm Lux Research, who recently told CNET that "material sciences will fuel technological development and economic growth in the coming years." Our affair with nanotechnology has already begun.

A number of wide-ranging industries already use nanotechnology, in everything from consumer skincare products to golf balls. "By designing custom materials, product manufacturers can create new pharmaceuticals or surfaces that are harder but lighter," adds CNET.

The ability to provide high strength while weighing little makes composites based on nanotechnology increasingly popular. Today's global nanocomposites market remains small. But it is growing. Last year it earned revenues of US$33.7 million, according to Frost & Sullivan (via IndustryWeek).

Indeed, the promise of nanotech in manufacturing and engineering has been much discussed for years. Yet, despite successful real-world applications, its promise has remained largely unfulfilled.

Growth would undoubtedly take place more rapidly if the price for nanoparticles — nanotubes and nanofibers — weren't so high. Of course, in the aviation industry, "lightweight" means lower fuel use while "strong" translates into safety and reliability, so there's relatively high reason to replace aluminum with composites ... when the cost falls.

One novel use for nanotechnology in the aviation industry comes from research showing that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be used to detect cracks in aircraft wings, according to a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) researcher.

The Business Review reports:

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers have developed a technique to do that by infusing conventional liquid epoxy. It hardens in a mold. The researchers then send electrical charges through the structure and measure the electrical resistance, which tells them if there's a crack.

Other researchers working with CNTs — in this case, hairs — at RPI and the University of Akron (Ohio) have invented "a process for making polymer surfaces covered with CNT hairs."

According to RPI:

The nanotubes imitate the thousands of microscopic hairs on a gecko's footpad, which form weak bonds with whatever surface the creature touches, allowing it to "unstick" itself simply by shifting its foot. The team of scientists developed a prototype flexible patch that can stick and unstick repeatedly with properties better than the natural gecko foot.

Microfabricated aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube setae and spatulas.
Credit: University of Akron, via Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Besides costs and technical issues, another factor limiting growth in nanotechnology lies in concern about human health.

A new analysis of byproducts discharged to the environment during production of CNTs has identified cancer-causing compounds, air pollutants and other substances of concern, researchers recently reported at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

For a thrilling scare on nanotech gone terribly awry, read Michael Crichton's science-fiction novel Prey. Such cautionary scenarios may not spell the end to the nanotech industry, though they do show a need for careful growth with concern for customers, workers and environmental health.

Speaking of health, nanotechnology may serve patients and the medical community through "cell tracking, cell labeling, sensing cellular behavior, drug and biomolecule delivery and enhancement of tissue regeneration," according to Medical Device Link. Others suspect nanotechnology may aid in gene therapy, for stronger dental fillings and even for acne and wrinkles, according to IndustryWeek. Researchers will need to test nanotechnology-based medications and treatments thoroughly first though as "first do no harm" remains the motto for doctors.

Two areas in which many people feel nanotechnology can offer help fast include water purification and energy development. As recently noted by IndustryWeek, other potential uses include the following:

• Motorcycle oil filters;
• Paint that inhibits algae and fungus;
• Anti-reflective coatings for LED lights;
• Devices to detect toxins, pathogens and chemicals in food;
• An image-sharpener for LCD or plasma TVs;
• A wood floor protector to enhance protection against water and dirt; and
• An additive for diesel fuel.

Scientists are now moving beyond working with only CNTs.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, for instance, study tubular nanomaterials based on metal oxides with silicon and germanium added in, Machine Design is reporting. So far, they have had "encouraging results" in their goal to control the dimensions of nanotubes.

Research from UK consulting firm Cientifica Ltd. (via IndustryWeek) indicates that the market for nanotechnology-enabled products will reach $1.5 trillion in 2015. That doesn't include semiconductors and electronics, two industries the firm says should be treated with caution.

As it is now, nanotechnology remains under the radar for consumers. According to a recent telephone poll commissioned by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, only 6 percent of Americans say they have heard a lot about nanotechnology.

And like in 2006, about 70 percent of adults say they have heard "just a little" or "nothing at all."

Earlier:

Regulations, Meet Nanotech. Nanotech, Meet Regulations.

Nano Ballyhoo

Nanotechnology Use May Reinvent Engineering

Resources

Nano-Growth
by Jill Jusko
IndustryWeek, July 1, 2007

Opportunity for America: Nano-Scale Production
by Ken Goldberg and Vijay Kumar
The San Jose Mercury News, Oct. 24, 2007

For Disruptive Technologies, Look to Material Sciences
by Martin LaMonica
CNET.com, Oct. 15, 2007

Nanocomposites: From Innovation to Growth
by Jill Jusko
IndustryWeek, Nov. 1, 2007

Researchers Report Technique to Use Nanotubes on Aircraft Wings
The Business Review (Albany), Sept. 28, 2007

Helping Nanotechnology Industry Avoid Mega-Mistakes
by Newswise (via Reliable Plant), August 2007

Carbon Nanotubes in Medical Technology
by David Williams
Medical Device Link (originally published in Medical Device Technology magazine), March/April 2007

Taking the NanoPulse – What Will They Nano Next?
by Scott E. Rickert
IndustryWeek, April 11, 2007

Poll Reveals Public Awareness of Nanotech Stuck at Low Level
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Sept. 25, 2007

Nanotube Adhesive Sticks Better than a Gecko's Foot
by Amber Cleveland
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, June 20, 2007

Here Come Metal-Oxide Nanotubes
Machine Design, Oct. 4, 2007